Tuesday's Gone
by LeaO'Neill
Summary: There's a new candidate for Strike Team who could be big trouble; Danny's worried...
1. Default Chapter

The Shield: Tuesday's Gone  
  
(Characters of The Shield do not belong to me. They are property of FX and their creators.) This episode would come before "Barnstormers" in Season 2.  
The Barn was busy; the normal hustle and bustle of a Tuesday morning.  
  
Phones were ringing, the early morning risers in 'the cage' were clamoring for  
  
everything from phone calls to attorneys to bail bondsmen. Cops flowed in and  
  
out, doing their daily routine.  
  
The desk Sergeant had just buzzed through a middle-aged woman in a tan suit.  
  
She had graying hair and a purposeful look on her face. She was nothing but  
  
business as she headed up the stairs.  
  
The headquarters for Farmington Division of the LAPD was once a church,  
  
obvious by the clerestory windows, some still with stained glass. But that was  
  
all that was left that might have been Holy. For nothing much of any sort of  
  
religion was going on now. Except maybe for the religion of the street. That  
  
was something Detective Vic Mackey knew all about.  
  
It was too early to be having this bad of a day. He'd slept on his own couch  
  
again last night, which always left him with a headache and a bad mood. His  
  
wife, who was asking him daily when he was going to move out, was little more  
  
than a stranger. He was also late for work. And a minute in the door, Captain  
  
David Acevedra found him.  
  
"My office," Acevedra told him as he prepared to climb the stairs.  
  
"No time," Mackey replied.  
  
"Make time." A few minutes later, Mackey was in front of Acevedra's desk. "What?" he  
  
growled. He hadn't even had coffee yet.  
  
"I found your new Strike Team member. A minority- that fits my agenda-  
  
and a little loose with departmental policy- that fits yours." The Captain slid a  
  
file across the desk to Mackey.  
  
Vic picked it up and opened it.  
  
He was amused, even in his mood. He managed a chuckle. "You've got to be  
  
kidding."  
  
Acevedra wasn't laughing. "Detective Jade Cordova."  
  
"A Hispanic and a woman. You're really trying to fill your quota." He rubbed  
  
his clean-shaven head. "Come on, you're not serious?"  
  
"I checked her out. I even noticed you worked with her several years ago."  
  
"Yeah, we worked together. So?"  
  
"She's been on Southwest Division SWAT for the last two years. I hear she's  
  
as tough as they come, can hold her own. Besides, it'd be good for the department."  
  
"Make you look good, you mean," Vic retorted.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Look, Cordova's a good cop, as far as the job. And yeah, she can hold her  
  
own. I'm not even denying that she might catch on real fast how to play in our  
  
ballgame, but, really Cap-""  
  
"The bottom line Vic, will she fit the profile or not?"  
  
Vic looked over the file again. It seemed Cordova had gotten herself into  
  
some trouble over the past few years. She'd been suspended twice. She'd been  
  
investigated by IA, but not for some time. No drug record. A long arrest record  
  
and some in leading vice busts. Yeah, she would have contacts. And she knew  
  
the street.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. She has history with Shane," Mackey added.  
  
Acevedra shrugged. "So make him get over it and keep his pants zipped."  
  
"I'm not sure the other guys are gonna warm up to it real fast."  
  
"Make them warm."  
  
Acevedra sure did expect him to "make" a lot of things happen.  
  
"Well I guess I'll give it my 'college try'," Vic deadpanned.  
  
"Good. She's coming in today. At this stage, I don't think we'll find another  
  
candidate that is more appropriate."  
  
"Well, gee, thanks for consulting me," Vic said sarcastically. "But I get the  
  
final cut."  
  
Acevedra nodded. And he smiled a bit, so that it reminded Mackey of a reptile.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted any further retort.  
  
The woman in the tan suit looked at the two. "Captain, I'm looking for  
  
Detective Shane Vendrell."  
  
"And you are?" Mackey asked, before the Captain could acknowledge.  
  
"I'm a process server for the law firm of Devenaugh and Carter."  
  
Mackey rolled his eyes. "Follow me." He figured Shane was being evicted  
  
again, or something equally stupid.  
  
They walked up the hall to the green door with the sign written in marker  
  
that read "STRIKE TEAM ONLY".  
  
Shane, Lem, and Ronnie were playing cards. The woman wasted no time.  
  
"Detective Shane Vendrell?"  
  
Shane glanced up. Not impressed, he said "yeah?"  
  
She handed him an envelope. "You've been served." On her heel, she turned  
  
and left.  
  
Shane threw down his cards. "Great!" he said in frustration.  
  
Lem laughed. "Evicted again? Or'd your dog bite some old lady?"  
  
Shane gave him a sour look and tore into the envelope.  
  
Vic had gone to his locker to check his clips for his weapon.  
  
A moment later, Shane cussed and stood up hard enough to send his chair  
  
flying over backwards.  
  
Vic looked over as Shane slammed out of the room, rattling the walls.  
  
"He's really pissed," Ronnie remarked.  
  
"You think he's out of the game?" Lem asked offhandedly.  
  
Vic followed his long time partner and friend, but didn't catch up with him  
  
until the parking lot, where Shane finally stopped beside his car."  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"That bitch!" Shane yelled, balling a fist. He slammed it into his car trunk.  
  
"Whoa. Ease up. What's on the subpoena?"  
  
Shane handed Vic the legal papers.  
  
Vic read over them. " A DNA test?" he read. He looked at the name of the  
  
petitioner. Oh shit. "Jade Cordova."  
  
"That lying bitch," Shane remarked again.  
  
This couldn't have come at a worse time. "She had a baby?"  
  
"Yeah, apparently. Guess she can't find the daddy and needs a sucker. Well it  
  
ain't gonna be me! She can kiss my ass!"  
  
"So the kid ain't yours?"  
  
"Hell no!" Shane insisted. "She didn't have that baby till more than a year  
  
after we broke up. I don't know any chic who can stay pregnant for 12  
  
months."  
  
"Look, Shane, if it isn't yours, then no sweat. Take the test, she'll get it outta  
  
her system."  
  
"It just chaps my ass that she don't say shit to me for three years then that-"  
  
he gestured to the papers Vic still held.  
  
Mackey knew he had to tell the irate cop. "Well, you might be seeing her  
  
sooner than you thought."  
  
"What's that mean?"  
  
"It means Acevedra's transferring her to Farmington."  
  
"You're shitting me." Shane didn't find it funny. But Vic wasn't laughing.  
  
Vic shook his head. "Sorry. There's more. With all Acevedra's P.C. bull, he's  
  
ramming her down our throat. He thinks she's the new candidate for Strike  
  
Team."  
  
Shane felt like puking. He was speechless, save for a few expletives.  
  
"And you went for it?" he finally asked, disgustedly.  
  
Vic shrugged. "Well, I worked with her too. I know she can play by our  
  
'rules'."  
  
"Or lack thereof," Shane mumbled.  
  
"I'm just saying, when I knew her, she was always on the market for a good  
  
deal."  
  
Shane guffed, still not amused. "Yeah, now she'd got a kid to support."  
  
He finally sighed. "Well, I don't have to like it."  
  
"No, but if she stays, you've got to work with her. Can you handle that?  
  
You're not gonna let some homie pop her just because she used the Cadillac  
  
and now she's tryin' to take the ride?"  
  
Shane hated some of Vic's more colorful metaphors. "Of course not. If she  
  
can hang, fine. But I'm not treating her any different because she's woman, or  
  
because of anything else."  
  
"Fine. Now, can we go back to work?"  
  
Shane reluctantly nodded.  
  
"What a rotten day."  
Jade Cordova arrived at 'the barn'. She'd been a cop for 11 years; it was all  
  
she knew. She'd learned to be as cold and as tough as any man. In Southeast  
  
Division of the LAPD, she was known as the "Ice Bitch." It wasn't  
  
something she was proud of deep  
  
down, but she knew she'd earned it. Her career lately was edgy to say the least.  
  
She'd gotten too close to getting too dirty. She didn't like that feeling, knowing  
  
brass was watching too close. And her personal life was a mess, had been for  
  
years. There was no solace there. All in all, her life was at the point of  
  
becoming a real wreck. And then Acevedra, the Hispanic Captain of the  
  
Farmington division had put in a call. The move couldn't come at a better time.  
  
But then, there'd be Vendrell to deal with. Oh well, she figured. Better to have  
  
to deal with him then lose her shield.  
  
Jade was 5' 8" of mostly muscle. Of course, her curves still filled out her  
  
jeans and tight black turtle neck sweater. Her long dark hair was pulled back  
  
today, but loose, it curled softly around her shoulders. She was defiantly  
  
someone people took notice of.  
  
One of those people noticing was Detective Holland "Dutch" Wagenbaugh.  
  
The lanky, somewhat socially inept officer had seen Jade come in. He'd noticed  
  
her shield displayed at her hip and her shoulder holster with the .44 Glock. He  
  
noticed how well she carried herself, like someone with good breeding. He  
  
noticed her beautiful green eyes and her full lips. Dutch noticed a lot about  
  
people. He just wasn't very good when it came to approaching them. But this  
  
woman, he really really wanted to talk to her. For some reason, maybe it was  
  
silly; he wondered what her voice sounded like. If it sounded anything like she  
  
looked, he'd think she was a 1-900 number come to life. Not that he used those  
  
numbers.  
He stood up, almost knocking over his coffee. He smiled at her. She looked  
  
at him like he was yesterday's left over.  
  
"Hi, I'm Detective Wagenbaugh. Can I help you Officer-?"  
  
"Cordova. And it's Detective. I'm looking for Captain Acevedra."  
  
"You'll find his office right up those stairs."  
  
She nodded and ran her tongue over the inside of her lips. "Thanks."  
  
Dutch, along with half of the other male officers, watched her shapely rear go  
  
up the stairs. Dutch had a feeling she could tear a guy like him up for breakfast  
  
and have a new one by lunch. But that didn't keep him from wishing he had  
  
the courage to ask her out.  
  
Cordova found Acevedra and introduced herself.  
  
"Well, I'm really glad you decided to take me up on my offer."  
  
"It came at a good time," she explained, leaving it at that.  
  
"Well, I'm sure you'll find that our division will keep you busy. We do some  
  
good work here."  
  
"So I've heard. I'm sure also that having a minority on a predominantly white  
  
tactical team in this neighborhood will come in useful."  
  
Acevedra shrugged. "It couldn't hurt," he played. He could see this one was  
  
as sharp as she was beautiful.  
  
"Well, how was Mackey with the idea?"  
  
"He had good thins to say about you. He gets the final decision about the  
  
Strike Team, of course, but I'm sure he'll make the right one."  
Vic had told Ronnie and Lem about Jade. Shane remained silent and neither  
  
mentioned the conversation in the parking lot. Lem was ambivalent, but  
  
Ronnie seemed okay with it.  
  
"She's just here to make the headlines so the department can look P C," Vic  
  
added. "We use her when we need to, the rest of the time, she stays out of the  
  
way."  
  
"And you think she'll go for that plan?" Shane asked sourly. He knew just  
  
how stubborn Jade could be.  
  
"Eventually. If the price is right."  
  
"But we're not gonna cut her in on anything big right?" Lem persisted. "Not  
  
like the money train?"  
  
Vic shook his head. "She's on a strictly need to know basis. And she doesn't  
  
need to know about that."  
  
Lem shrugged. "Well, yeah, I guess, if she can hang."  
  
"She's SWAT. She can hang. She's got a lot of chemical weapons and  
  
explosives training too. Might even come in handy."  
  
"Oh, yeah," Shane mumbled. "She can really blow you-" Vic gave him a dirty  
  
look. "Away," he finished.  
  
About then, Acevedra knocked and came in followed by Jade.  
  
"Gentlemen, Detective Cordova. She's going to ride along with you today,  
  
see how she likes our division."  
  
Vic came over and stuck out a hand. "Good to see you again."  
  
She took it. "You too."  
  
He introduced Ronnie Gardocki and Curtis "Lem" Lemansky. "And I think you know  
  
Detective Vendrell."  
  
Shane stayed quiet and avoided her eyes.  
  
"Well, lets get this show on the road," Vic said. "Lets get Detective Cordova  
  
outfitted and see if she can run with the big dogs." He smiled.  
  
Officer Danny Sofer saw Vic and the team heading out. She noticed a  
  
beautiful dark haired woman with them, in a vest and LAPD cap. Danny  
  
watched with a pang of jealousy. She wondered exactly how a woman made it  
  
to try out for Vic's team, when even she hadn't gotten her foot in the door. She  
  
noticed Dutch watching too.  
  
"Hey Dutch, who's that?"  
  
Dutch shrugged. He found out a lot in a short time. "Some burn out from  
  
SWAT that Acevedra recruited. Her name's Cordova."  
  
Detective Claudette Wyms walked over with her morning coffee. "What's  
  
going on here?" she asked, watching Dutch and Danny watch as the Strike  
  
Team left. "Does anyone work around here anymore?"  
Danny went back to her paperwork at the desk she was barrowing. She really  
  
needed to talk to Vic. She was so confused about what was going on with their  
  
on again, off again love affair. She suddenly had a thought: was Vic sleeping  
  
with that new woman too? Is that why he'd been so distant lately? God, this  
  
was stupid. She really had to get over him completely.  
The team raided a crack house. It was a neighborhood eyesore and Vic had  
  
planned to clean it up eventually, but he'd gotten a tip that one of the patrons  
  
might have a line on Armadillo. That boy had gotten way too dangerous to live  
  
and Vic knew they had to start shaking down every shit hole to find him. No  
  
time like the present.  
  
Vic and the team executed a perfect surround and seize maneuver; Lem and  
  
Jade covered the back while Vic and Shane busted through the front door with  
  
a battering ram while Ronnie covered them. It was a clean bust of five cracked  
  
out druggies. Ronnie called in for patrol units to transport their prisoners.  
  
Vic singled out the one called Chupa, a middle aged, multi tattooed ex- con  
  
who might know how to find Armadillo Quintero. He shoved the felon against  
  
the wall, making sure Cordova wasn't in the room. No need to get her in to this  
  
too deep.  
  
"Easy ese," Chupa complained in a drugged out haze.  
  
"Don't ese me. I hear you know how to find Armadillo Quintero. I want to  
  
hear more."  
  
"Man, that dude's a bad scene."  
  
"You know how to find him or not? You're a three time looser you're going  
  
down to the Bay for another stint unless you manage to sneak out the back  
  
door while I wasn't looking. Armadillo?" Mackey hissed.  
  
"Man, he's holed up. He got hurt bad, Burned. Maybe my cousin took him  
  
some medicine, maybe a week or two back."  
  
"Maybe your cousin got a name? An address?"  
  
"I don' remember so good."  
  
Vic shoved a hundred dollar bill in his dirty hand. "Memory getting clearer?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. My primo Ramos, shacked up with his old lady in the  
  
Neighborhood, you know. He took some stuff to Armadillo. A motel on  
  
Lorca. The Luminaria. But that was about two weeks ago. I don know if  
  
Armadillo was still there, no?"  
  
"Yeah, okay. Beat it." He pushed the Mexican toward the back door. Lem let  
  
him pass and shuffle away out the alley.  
  
"He say anything?" Lem asked.  
  
"Not much. A maybe."  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
After work, Vic met Jade in the parking lot.  
  
"Well, how was your first day with us?"  
  
Jade smiled, one of the first all day. She'd always been able to let her guard  
  
down with Vic, just a little. "I'm impressed."  
  
"Good. How about we get a drink and talk shop?"  
  
She nodded. "Sounds good."  
  
They went to a small bar where cops usually didn't frequent. They sat at a corner table. Vic ordered a Heineken and Jade ordered a Coke.  
  
Vic was a little surprised. He'd know Jade to drink men under the table. She  
  
noticed him noticing.  
  
"I gave it up," she said, shrugging.  
  
He nodded. "So, I read your record. You've kinda been skatin' on thin ice  
  
over at the beach."  
  
She agreed. "That's why I was a little surprised when Acevedra called."  
  
"He needed a token."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You're okay with that?"  
  
"If I get more out of it than he does."  
  
Vic smiled. It never did take her long to get to the point. "Look, we've kinda  
  
had eyes on us to, so we're playing it cool now. Small stuff, you know. But  
  
when the time is right, we'll be getting a good spread."  
  
"And Acevedra? How much is he involved?"  
  
"He wants to be a politician. He just wants to look good. As long as we make  
  
him do that, he turns his head. That's all."  
  
She nodded. "And I'm just there to continue to make him look good. I get  
  
my name in lights, he shines, and the rest of the time I stay in the shadow?  
  
Right?"  
  
Vic shrugged. "That's pretty much how it plays. You can live with that?"  
  
"Just don't let me get bored."  
  
"You bored today?"  
  
She laughed a little. "No."  
  
"Then it'll be fine. What about you and Shane? You gonna kill each other?"  
  
She sighed. "I hope not."  
  
"He got the subpoena today."  
  
"It's my sister Vic, She has custody of Carly. She's the one responsible for the  
  
subpoena, not me."  
  
"So you really had a kid?" ] She nodded. "She's two and a half."  
  
"Why isn't she with you?"  
  
Jade shifted in her seat. "It's kinda a long story."  
  
"Give me the short version."  
  
"I was drinking a lot. I spent most of the pregnancy in rehab. I got clean, but  
  
I couldn't stay that way. Lisa took her away. She's been after me to get child  
  
support. When I told her no, she started this crap. She had three guys  
  
subpoenaed for DNA, including Shane."  
  
"But it's not his, right?"  
  
Jade lowered her eyes and shook her head.  
  
"Look, I'm not trying to be a prick here, I just need to know that if you're on  
  
my team, both you and Shane can work together. I need everyone in the same  
  
park."  
  
"I know Vic. I promise, you won't have any trouble on my end. As soon as I  
  
can get Shane to talk to me, I'll explain everything."  
  
"Oh, he'll talk to you alright. I'll make sure."  
  
"How about you Vic?" Jade wanted to change the subject. " How are things  
  
at home? The kids?"  
  
"The kids are good." He shrugged. "Corrine and me are separated."  
  
"Sorry. That's got to be rough."  
  
"I miss the kids a lot."  
  
"I miss Carly too. I only see her on weekends."  
  
"It's hard, I work so much."  
  
She nodded in agreement. "I want to try and get custody back. I've been  
  
sober for almost a year. But I'd have to move into Burglary or Missing Persons  
  
if I get her back. Something that doesn't take as much time and energy."  
  
"Trust me, if you get your kid back, it'd be worth it."  
  
"Yeah," she agreed. "That's what I'm hoping. It takes money too. A lot of  
  
money."  
  
He knew about that too. He had a detective agency bill running up into the  
  
thousands even as they spoke. "We take care of each other in Strike. Whatever  
  
you need, if we can do it, it's as good as done."  
  
"I appreciate that Vic."  
  
"Look, something else we need to talk about. Did Acevedra mention  
  
anything about the team being Green lit?"  
  
She raised her eyebrow and shook her head. "I can't say as he did."  
  
"We're trying to run down a real bad dude. He had his own brother killed.  
  
Raped a little girl. He's trying to take over the drug business down here; the  
  
business that we had a good handle on- we couldn't get a handle on Armadillo.  
  
He's more than a little pissed about us pushing him out. He put a hit out on the  
  
team."  
  
She nodded and looked thoughtful. "Well, you just push harder then, don't  
  
you?"  
  
Vic smiled. "I thought you might see it that way." He sipped the last of his  
  
beer. "Seriously, if you're with us, watch you back. All the time."  
  
"I'll get a new mirror."  
  
_____________________________________________________________ Danny went home to her apartment. She was beat from the long day. She  
  
Wished she had something else to do with her time but work and go home and  
  
sleep, lately alone more and more. She'd seen Vic leaving with that new  
  
Detective, Cordova. Again, Danny had done a slow burn. She knew she had no  
  
ties on Vic, but yet, she didn't want anyone else to have them either. She knew  
  
it wasn't fair, but hell, the whole thing wasn't fair to anyone. Maybe it was just  
  
all this crap with the Arab woman. It was getting to her more and more. She  
  
was afraid of what she might do if it didn't stop.  
  
Danny was going to shower and go to bed, but suddenly, something stopped  
  
her in her tracks. She happened to glance at the calander. What day was it? The  
  
18th?  
  
"Oh my God," Danny said outloud. She put some serious thought into it and  
  
suddenly realized she was six days late. No, this wasn't ahppeneing. She and Vic  
  
had always been careful. And lately, there hadn't been anyone else. Okay, calm  
  
down, she told herself. It was just all this stress, that's all, screwing up her body.  
  
"That's all," she repeated. But she couldn't help dwelling on it for the rest of  
  
the night.  
The next day at the barn was no different. Except everyone knew there was a  
  
new kid in town- and that she was Vic's 'kid'. The auditor, Laney, was very  
  
pleased with Acevedra and spent a good ten minutes in his office telling him  
  
what good things she thought could happen for him because of this move.  
  
Jade made "friends" quickly. She was in the break room getting coffee when  
  
Dutch approached.  
  
"Good morning," he said with a friendly smile. "I thought I'd be the first to  
  
welcome you to "the barn"."  
  
Jade gave him a hint of a polite smile. "Thanks." She stirred her coffee  
  
vigorously.  
  
"Don't judge us all by the way those guys act. We're not all-"  
  
"A bunch of macho dicks on legs looking for a new lay?" she finished.  
  
Dutch was taken aback. He'd never had a woman speak to him quite like  
  
that, at least not a fellow officer.  
  
"Look, I don't date cops I work with. I don't sleep with married men. I don't  
  
blow my way to the top. So which ever angle you were thinking of using,  
  
don't."  
  
And with that and a shake of her long apple scented hair, she left Dutch  
  
standing alone and beat down.  
  
"God I want that woman," he muttered under his breath.  
  
Wyms saw the way her partner looked at the new girl's ass when she went  
  
back to the Strike Team office. He looked like a puppy that longed for the  
  
attention of its master, even if the only attention it got was a kick in the ribs.  
  
"Give it up son," she advised him. "That one is way out of your league. And  
  
considering the company she keeps." she didn't finish the sentence. "Come  
  
on, we've got work to do."  
Vic assigned a team to watch the Luminaria Motel. It wasn't much of a lead,  
  
but it could be something.  
  
Shane and Jade sat in the Chevy, watching the motel. It had been two hours  
  
already, and neither had spoken more than a few words.  
  
"So, you think Vic put us together to see if we'd kill each other?" Jade finally  
  
asked out loud.  
  
Shane shrugged. "Probably."  
  
"Look, about this paternity thing, I really am sorry. It's Lisa, my sister, who  
  
wanted it. She has custody of Carly. That's why she wants the money. If I had  
  
Carly back now, none of this would be happening."  
  
" I took the damn test. Gave a whole vial of blood. You always  
  
did go for the jugular."  
  
"I really never planned for any of this."  
  
"So who is the father anyway?"  
  
Jade shifted uncomfortable in the seat. "I was drinking a lot back then. I had  
  
problems. Problems with booze, problems with men."  
  
Shane saw that Jade was really telling the truth. He understood now that she  
  
might not even have a clue as to who she'd slept with when. He even felt a guilt  
  
pang, because he knew that she hadn't been drinking that bad until they'd  
  
gotten together-the late nights, the partying, the fighting-had that all led up to  
  
this? He decided he might as well keep his mouth shut before it got him into  
  
more trouble, like usual.  
  
"Well, anyway, truce, okay?" he stuck out his hand.  
  
Jade took it and gave him a hint of a smile. "Thanks. I remember we did used  
  
to be friends." The touch sparked more than a few embers in her memory.  
  
"Don't push it lady," Shane said, smirking, so she'd know he was joking.  
  
Danny was distracted while she and Julien were out on patrol. He noticed and  
  
had questioned her about it. He figured it was the fact that the Arab lady was  
  
still harassing her that laid so heavy on his partner's mind.  
  
"When ever you want to talk, I'm available to listen," he offered politely.  
  
Danny shrugged. "Really, it's nothing." But she knew it might not be nothing.  
  
It might be something. It might be something she really needed to talk to Vic  
  
about. She'd wait a few more days and then.well, she'd just wait and try to  
  
stop thinking about it.  
  
Acevedra had been at his campaign headquarters earlier and had not liked  
  
what he'd seen. He'd been after his patrol units to clean up the prostitutes  
  
along Lincoln Ave, where his headquarters was located, but today it was worse  
  
then ever. Male and female prostitutes solicited across the street and the  
  
captain was not happy. As soon as he got back to the Barn, he tracked down  
  
Vic.  
  
"I want a hard crack down on the prostitution on Lincoln, starting today," he  
  
told Vic and Lem.  
  
"You want me to pull my guys off cases to work the hookers?" Vic asked, as if  
  
the Captain's request was really putting him out.  
  
"That's exactly what I want. You have a new female officer. Use her. I want her  
  
out there and I want a sting operation set up immediately. As soon as the johns  
  
see that they're going to get busted, maybe it'll get quieter down there."  
  
"At least until elections are over?" Vic added with a smile. "Just get on it," Acevedra said with irritation.  
  
Vic called in Shane and Jade, who'd been on the motel all day.  
  
"Anything?" Vic asked when they got in.  
  
Shane shook his head. "No sign of any of his people or Armadillo. I think he's  
  
long gone from that rat hole."  
  
"It was worth a try. Listen, Acevedra wants us to set up a sting on Lincoln, by  
  
his political office. Bust some johns." Vic cocked a thumb at Jade. "He wants  
  
you to hit the street. Lets get this thing moving."  
  
Vic called Danny upstairs, and she was immediately reminded she needed to  
  
talk to him.  
  
"Vic, I'm glad you called," Danny said, coming up the stairs. "I need to talk to  
  
you about something."  
  
"Can it wait?" Vic asked. "I've got a street assignment for you, if you want it."  
  
Danny was torn between her desire to get back to the street and advance in  
  
her career and her personal worries. "Yeah, okay."  
  
He told her about the sting operation. Danny was thrilled to get an  
  
opportunity, but she was leery of working with 'the new girl'.  
  
It only took a short time to set up the operation. They set up a mobile  
  
booking station, on a rooftop near the area where Jade and Danny would be  
  
'working'. Due to regulations, she was only allowed to wear 'street' clothes, but  
  
to all the opinion of the Strike Team, that was enough. When Jade returned  
  
from changing, she wore tight jeans and black heels, and a green tight tank top.  
  
"Damn, where'd you hide your gun?" Vic asked.  
  
She smiled. "You don't want to know."  
  
Danny also arrived then; she wore a white tee shirt and black jeans. She too  
  
looked hot.  
  
The two women hit the street. The plan was that if a potential customer  
  
approached, they were to get a price quote and exactly what for. Then they'd  
  
tell the guy to meet around the corner in the alley, where Shane and Lem  
  
waited to arrest him and run him up the stairs to Vic and Ronnie, who'd book  
  
him. Ronnie even had the computer set up to make the booking go quick. Both  
  
Danny and Jade wore wires and the entire team was connected so everyone  
  
could hear each other. If there was trouble, the women were to say the word  
  
"gringo" and the entire team would move in.  
  
Danny and Jade walked together for a bit.  
  
"So you're from SWAT?" Danny asked.  
  
Jade nodded, popping her gum loudly.  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Rough," Jade admitted. "A lot of guys don't warm up to a woman on their turf real quick."  
  
"I can imagine. Was it hard to get in?"  
  
"Yeah. At first." Jade wasn't willing to admit to anyone the things she'd had to do to get accepted.  
  
"But you knew Vic from back then?"  
  
Jade nodded.  
  
That was all Danny asked, while she knew the entire team was listening.  
  
After a while, the women split up. Danny got her first 'customer'.  
  
"Hey red," a guy called from inside the car that just pulled up. Danny  
  
approached, but not too close.  
  
"Yeah? You want a date?"  
  
"Maybe. How much?"  
  
"Depends on what you're looking for?"  
  
"Just a quickie. I've got to get to work." "Just straight sex? It'll be 40."  
  
"40? That's a lot. How about 20?"  
  
"20? Yeah, okay. Pull around the corner into the alley," Danny told him, feeling like a rather cheap date.  
  
He did and right into Shane and Lemonhead. He was arrested for solicitation  
  
and Vic took him up to the roof.  
  
Jade got the next collar. The guy was driving a city vehicle and looked like a  
  
plain wrap cop car.  
  
"Hey darlin' how about some company?" a balding man asked.  
  
"What're you a cop?" she shot back. She used a heavy Latin accent.  
  
"No, I work for the City Transit Department." "You look like a cop, vato. I don't date no cops."  
  
"Really, I'm not a cop. I'll give you 50 for some company?"  
  
Jade approached the car passenger window. "Look, I'm working. I ain't  
  
looking for chit chat."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Fifty bucks, I get company and you get fucked? Okay?" He grinned.  
  
Jade tried to keep from rolling her eyes. "Turn the corner into that alley. So no one catches us in your car."  
  
The City employee willingly complied. And Shane happily pulled him out of his car and snapped on plastic zip cuffs. Vic led him away.  
  
Little was the Strike Team or the women to know that they too were being watched. In a car in another alley, where he had a view of the street, was a young man with a badly burned face. Armadillo Quintero and his driver  
  
watched the operation in motion. Quintero was especially interested in the  
  
woman, the one with long dark hair. She was a new addition to Mackey's  
  
playthings. A new beautiful addition that he wanted to find out more about.  
  
After some time of watching the woman, Armadillo signaled his driver to leave.  
  
He'd look into the woman soon enough.  
  
In four hours, Jade and Danny raked them in. But it was getting slower now, and the overtime was about up.  
  
"One more and I'm ready to call it a night," Jade said, knowing Vic was listening.  
  
A guy in a black sedan with dark tinted windows pulled up then. Danny was just up the street.  
  
"Hey baby. Hop in and I'll show you a good time."  
  
Jade went as far as the window. "What'd you got in mind?"  
  
The guy looked well to do, in a suit and tie.  
  
"A good time," he repeated.  
  
"I'm pretty expensive," she told him.  
  
"I've got cash," he said. "Now get in." " It'll be 50 for straight sex, 30 for a blow," she told him.  
  
He laughed. "Just get in puta,"  
  
"Around the corner, in the alley."  
  
He suddenly leaned out and grabbed her arm. "I don't think so bitch!" He tried to pull her in.  
  
Shane and Lem could see what was happening and Lem gassed the sedan out of the alley. Shane ran toward the car, as did Danny. Vic was flying down the stairs.  
  
The guy attempted to pull Jade into the car and step on the gas at the same time. Lem blocked him in with the unmarked car and the driver was forced to brake quickly.  
  
Shane was at the drivers' door already, while Danny was behind Jade with her gun drawn.  
  
Shane ripped open the door and yanked out the surprised driver, who then had to let go of Jade. Shane slammed him face down on the pavement and shoved his knee into the guy's back.  
  
"Ain't no way to talk to a lady, prick!" he shouted, while cuffing the guy.  
  
After they had mopped up the scene and Vic escorted the john to be booked, Shane and Danny hovered over Jade.  
  
"Are you okay?" Danny asked.  
  
Jade nursed her bruised arm and shoulder, where it had hit the car frame while she was trying to pull her arm free.  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"You sure?" Shane asked.  
  
Jade looked at him, surprised at his behavior with the perp. "Yeah," she said, after a moment.  
  
Back at the Barn, Vic was able to report that the operation had been successful, with 12 busts in 4 hours. Jade cleaned up in the ladies room, not ready to admit that she was a little shaken from the rough bust.  
  
Shane went to use the bathroom, the men's room still defunct, and walked in while she was bent over the sink.  
  
"Sorry," he said, and was going to retreat, but then came in instead.  
  
"Hey, are you really okay?"  
  
She looked at him again, the way she had earlier. "Yeah. I'll be fine." She cleared her threat. "You kinda surprised me out there."  
  
"I was just doing my job. Reacting." " You reacted real fast. That's all. I can handle my self, you know."  
  
"I know. I just." he didn't know what to say. "Jesus, Jade, you think that I don't care? You think I can just put all that time behind me?"  
  
"You seemed to do a good job of it three years ago."  
  
"Lets don't forget who left who. You ran out on me, remember? You wanted to prove to the world you didn't need nobody. You wanted freedom."  
  
"Freedom?" she asked, raising her voice a little. "You were pretty damn free while we were together, as I remember. Pretty free with every fresh ass that walked by."  
  
Shane shook his head. "Look, Jade, I don't want to fight with you anymore. I think we had enough of that too. I'm just saying.Oh hell, forget it." He turned and walked out again.  
  
Jade didn't want to admit to herself or anyone else that she realized Shane still cared. Or that she still cared too.  
  
Danny finally caught up with Vic, just as he was about to leave for the night. "Vic, can we talk now, just for a minute?"  
  
Vic got into his truck, keeping a barrier between him and Danny. "Yeah, okay. A minute."  
  
Danny looked around to see if anyone else was around earshot in the dark parking lot. "I've kinda got a situation that maybe might pertain to you. To us."  
  
Vic shook his head. "I don't understand."  
  
"Vic I'm late," she hissed.  
  
"What?" he asked, though he'd heard just fine. "How late?"  
  
"A week."  
  
Vic shrugged. "Well, it's probably something else. I was careful."  
  
Danny nodded. "I know, but, well, I was just kind of-"  
  
"Did you get a test?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. I was -"  
  
"Well get one. Then let me know, okay?"  
  
God he was being a prick. But what had she expected? Love and support from her married lover?  
  
"Yeah, you're right. I'll get one tonight. I shouldn't have said anything until I was sure. I'm sorry Vic."  
  
She turned to go, but Vic caught her arm.  
  
"Danny, look. Don't be upset, okay? I'm sure it'll be okay. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" He gave her one of his smiles that had always been able to make her melt.  
  
"Yeah, sure Vic. Tomorrow." _____________________________________________________________  
  
Shane went home with his mind in turmoil. How could that woman have him in such an uproar? Wasn't his life complicated enough without having Jade in it? Jade and a kid?  
  
Shane's house was a small one story two bedroom in a good enough part of the neighborhood that didn't warrant bars on all the windows. It wasn't neat and tidy by any sense of the word. He had laundry strewn all over, but it was sorted: clean on the couch, dirty on the floor. His kitchen had a few dishes in the sink, but mostly he ate out and the take out food containers ended up in the garbage. His refrigerator was stocked mostly with beer, several different kinds-Budweiser for general purposes, Bud Light for workdays, Corona for when he felt like drinking that Mexican shit, and a bottle of Jack Daniels, for times like this.  
  
He poured a shot, unbuttoned his shirt and went to put on the stereo. He had invested in a good system and took pride in it and his CD collection. Every album from Lynard Skynard and George Throughgood, most from Elvis and the Rolling Stones. Country CDs from Hank Williams Jr and Travis Tritt to Waylon Jennings; His collection was displayed in four floor to ceiling CD racks on the same wall with the stereo.  
  
He put on the last one he'd been listening to. Skynard.  
  
Shane downed the Jack and followed it with a bottle of Bud chaser. He lit a fresh cigarette and moved some jeans over so he could sit on the couch. He pulled a shoebox from under the coffee table (which was being used for a gun cleaning station). He dug through some old photos in the box. A lot were from Vic, pictures of him with Vic's family, softball tournaments and that. But he found the one he was looking for.  
  
Jade was wearing this skintight tee shirt with a low-neck line that enhanced those perfect tits she kept hidden these days. In the photo, he and Jade were arm in arm, each holding a beer. They had both been lit, but looked realistically happy. It had been a long time before he screwed up. How in the hell had he managed that?  
  
He knew how. By letting his damn pride get in the way. That and his appetite for other women. He and Jade were too much alike back then. They both liked to play way too much to settle down. But now, as he got older, Shane started to realize that maybe letting her get away might have been the biggest mistake he'd made. And maybe that kid, if she ended up being his, might not be such a bad thing. Shane sat, drank, smoked cigarettes and listened to his music while looking at those old pictures until late into the night.  
  
".Tuesday's gone with the wind." moaned Skynard. ".My baby's gone with the wind.train roll on"  
  
The next day the Barn was a flurry of activity. The busts from last night's  
  
Strike Team operation were a success and had turned up two interesting things:  
  
the City Transit worker they had busted was actually head of Operations of  
  
City Transit and his arrest had made front page headlines; second, the guy who  
  
had roughed up Jade matched up to a suspect Dutch and Claudette had been  
  
looking for in a string of prostitute murders. After they searched his car, they  
  
found evidence to link him to their case.  
  
Dutch found Jade as soon as he had a chance. "That was a great arrest," he told her. "This guy's been offing hookers for a couple of months and we never could pin him down."  
  
"Happy I could do your job for you," jade said abruptly.  
  
"Why do you do that?" Dutch asked, in a ponderous tone.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Beat men down. Are you that afraid of yourself that you can't let in a couple of kind words, or be decent to someone who's just trying to give you a compliment?"  
  
Jade didn't like being analyzed. She turned to go.  
  
"It's a defense mechanism, you know," Dutch added. "You should really ask yourself what you're more afraid of: letting someone in, or letting yourself out."  
  
Jade didn't turn around, afraid her eyes would reveal the truth. "Thanks for the compliment," she managed, before walking off. Dutch smiled half-heartedly. He knew he'd pushed that chip off her shoulder, just a little.  
  
Armadillo Quintero let himself in to Jade's two-bedroom apartment easily.  
  
After finding out where she lived, the rest was easy. He made himself at home,  
  
going through her things, her kitchen cabinets, her CDs, her closets. He l lingered to smell her clothing. Wonderful. Like Jasmine and Honey, some like fresh green apple. He discovered that scent was her shampoo and conditioner when he went through her bathroom.  
  
He looked at her pictures. Most were of a little girl with those same green eyes. Her daughter, he presumed. He took some things: a camisole from her drawer, a bottle of perfume, a picture of Jade and Carly, and a piece of fruit from the kitchen. Oh this woman would be his trophy to prove to Mackey that he, Armadillo, was truly great.  
  
It was Danny's day off. She hoped it would be a good one. She hadn't stopped last night to buy the pregnancy test; she was too upset from her encounter with Vic. So she set out early in the morning to do it. She walked nervously down the isle at Walgreen's. She aimlessly threw some other items in her cart, hairspray, a brush, a bottle of Aspirin, and a jar of peanuts. This was silly, she told herself. She was a grown woman. She was certainly capable and entitled to buy a pregnancy test if she wanted to.  
  
She found what she was looking for and went to get in line. She never noticed who was also in line until she'd put her items on the counter, the test box with it's bright blue lettering resting right there on top.  
  
"Good morning Danny," Claudette Wyms said from behind her, casually eyeing the counter.  
  
Danny though she was going to go through the floor right there. "Oh, hi Detective. You're, uh, out early this morning."  
  
Claudette smiled as the checker ran up Danny's items. "I find shopping easier at this time of day."  
  
Danny hurriedly handed her card to the cashier who was slowly bagging the items. Danny knew Wyms had seen the pregnancy test. Oh well, she didn't know anything else. She couldn't. She didn't know weather Danny had a boyfriend or not. Did she?  
  
"Well, se ya," Danny said quickly taking her bag from the cashier.  
  
"Have a good day. Good luck," Claudette said.  
  
Danny could have died as she ducked out of the store.  
  
Danny wasn't the only one finding out about tests. Shane, who was on his day off as well, was trying to cure his hangover with a beer when his phone rang.  
  
"Yeah?" he answered groggily.  
  
"Detective Vendrell?"  
  
"Yeah. Who's this?"  
  
"This is Mike, from the lab, remember?"  
  
Shane, when he'd gone to take the DNA test, had been real sure that's he'd never find anything out except from the slow moving law firm, and then only if he was about to be slapped with a back due child support court order. So he'd done what came naturally to Shane: he'd paid off a lab tech. He'd paid to find out the results of the test as soon as it came back.  
  
"Okay, yeah, I remember you. You got those DNA test results?"  
  
"Yeah. I think you'll be hearing from the law firm. The test results for you were labeled "inconclusive"."  
  
"What the hell is that?" Shane sat up and rubbed his head. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means there were enough DNA matches from you to not rule you out, although you were only a 70 percent match. But the other two test subjects were less than 40 percent. You won't be ruled out unless there's another test subject who has a better than 90 percent match."  
  
"I though these things were accurate!"  
  
"They are accurate. It just means that you're not ruled out. It doesn't mean you're the biological father. But unless a closer match is found, that law firm is gonna come hunt you."  
  
"Great!" Shane slammed down the phone. He figured the hundred dollars he'd paid Mike was enough thanks. He pulled on some clothes. He was going to give Jade a piece of his mind, once and for all. He was sick of her games.  
  
Shane had every intention of going to the Barn looking for Jade, but he didn't have to. As he was getting ready to leave, she pulled up. When she knocked on the door, Shane jerked it open and pulled her inside.  
  
Jade was taken by surprise. "Dammit, Shane you scared the hell outta me-" she began.  
  
"I just got off the phone with the lab about that test. You wanna tell me what the hell is up? You wanna tell me why I'm not "ruled out" as your baby's dad?"  
  
Jade looked at the floor. Her concrete walled exterior shell was crumbling.  
  
"I.I don't know."  
  
"What do you know? Know where to find another candidate with closer matching DNA? That'd be a good start!"  
  
Jade had tears in her eyes. "I can't!"  
  
"Why the hell not? You picked three out of a hat, why not three more! What, they gonna have to test the whole friggin' Vice squad in Southwest?"  
  
Jade slapped him hard across the face. Shane caught her arm, his cheek stinging.  
  
"That it, you ball the entire department after me?!" he yelled.  
  
"I was a drunk Shane!" she yelled back. "When I wasn't drunk or stoned, all I could think about was you! You bastard! What did you think was going to happen!"  
  
It dawned on Shane just then. She really didn't know who the father was. She might not have any idea. Jade saw the surprise and realization on his face.  
  
She wiped at her face. "I shouldn't have come here," she said, and turned to go.  
  
Shane caught her at the door. "I'm sorry," he said, almost inaudibly.  
  
"I bet that was hard to say," she said, softly and without turning.  
  
"You'll never know."  
  
Jade turned, her tears making Shane's face a blur.  
  
"Don't cry. I hate it when you cry."  
  
"That's why I never cry. Not anymore."  
  
The world be dammed, Shane pulled Jade to him and kissed her hard, his hand caught in her hair. She resisted at first, but like always, she couldn't resist for long. He pushed her against the closed door. She wrapped her arms around him. The passion was as strong as it had ever been.  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Vic kept his word. He called Danny. As much as he didn't want to. Wasn't this just great. This was the last complication he needed in his messed up life right now. He sure as hell didn't need a knocked up patrol cop on his mind as much as she was. He needed to get back his family, that's what he needed.  
  
Danny answered on the second ring. Vic was on his cell, at a stoplight.  
  
"Hey, it's me. You okay?"  
  
"Yeah." She didn't mention Claudette. "I took the test. The timer's about to go off."  
  
Vic heard a ding in the background. His timing never failed to be perfect. "I'm gonna check it."  
  
Vic didn't breathe for a minute.  
  
"Vic?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm here."  
  
"It's negative. I'm not pregnant."  
  
Vic sighed. "Oh, well, good, right? Yeah, that's good."  
  
"I'm real sorry I scared you. I shouldn't have said anything, it's just I was so upset."  
  
"Look, Danny, we're friends," Vic pulled into traffic. "You can come to me, okay? But, this other.I mean, I'm trying to work things out with my wife.you understand, right?"  
  
Danny skipped a beat. "Right. Listen, thanks Vic. I'll see you at work, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." He hung up. Well that was a close call he hadn't needed. He'd remember in the future to make sure his raincoat was buttoned.  
  
_____________________________________________________________ Vic got to the barn and discovered Jade was absent. He knew Shane was off, but he was expecting Jade. Lem said she hadn't called in and Ronnie hadn't heard from her either. He told them to stay at the barn and cover for him and for Jade if Acevedra asked.  
  
Vic drove to her apartment when he couldn't reach her by phone. Vic, already upset, was furious when he found her door ajar. With his gun drawn, he cautiously entered. He could tell someone had been there. He didn't know who until he got to the kitchen. The stove was on, burner red-hot. A picture of Jade had been taken out of the frame and burned on the range. Burned just enough to melt the surface and make burner marks across the front of it.  
  
Mackey shut off the range with a fury. Armadillo! He knew about Jade and where she lived! He maybe already had her hostage!  
  
Vic ran out of the apartment, hitting the speed dial for Shane's number. He cussed when the line sounded a busy signal.  
  
He drove furiously to Shane's place. He saw the Corvette in the drive, but he didn't know that was Jade's. All he knew was that possibly one of his team was hit by Armadillo.  
  
Mackey pounded on Shane's door, as he used his key to open it.  
  
"Shane!" he yelled, but stopped short in his tracks when he saw the clothing littering the floor; not just Shane's usual litter of clothing. A woman's shirt and bra, two pair of boots, one man's one woman's.Vic got the idea. But too late. Shane was already up, a sheet around his waist, his gun in hand.  
  
"Vic?! What?"  
  
Vic took off his sunglasses and ran a hand over his head. "I hate to ask, but is Jade with you?"  
  
"Yeah? Why? What's going on?" he knew it was serious for Vic to look so upset and come into his house so abruptly.  
  
"Get her out here."  
  
Shane went back into the bedroom, and in another minute returned, now in jeans, with Jade, in a bathrobe.  
  
"Vic, I meant to get back to the barn-" she began.  
  
"It's not about work. Someone was in your apartment."  
  
"What?"  
  
"When you didn't come in and I couldn't get you on the phone, I went to your place. Armadillo's been there. He burned a picture."  
  
"What the hell? How'd he find out about her?" Shane asked.  
  
Vic could only shake his head. "It's obvious. He's watching us. Not the other way around." Will Shane and Jade keep it together? Will Armadillo make the next move? Will Vic Strike back? Stay tuned! 


	2. Tuesday's Gone: Chapter Two

Tuesday's Gone: Chapter Two  
  
Vic knew that Armadillo had to be stopped, one way or another. And he knew that if Jade  
  
was involved, she could be killed. He knew there was no way he could live with that. He  
  
spoke to Lem and Ronnie about it that afternoon and they agreed. He didn't call Shane  
  
for more than one reason, and not just because he didn't want to ruin his day off. He  
  
knew two things: one, Shane would be more determined, but more reckless, about getting  
  
Armadillo if he knew Jade was in constant danger; and two: the closer Shane got to Jade,  
  
the more of a liability she would become. Vic was trying to protect her, and telling Shane  
  
would be like lighting dynamite. If Jade told him she'd decided not to take the position  
  
on the team, then make a quiet exit, it wouldn't rock the boat as much. Yeah, he'd be hurt  
  
and upset, but he'd get over it, eventually. But if Jade stayed, they'd both be in too much  
  
danger. Vic knew he couldn't handle having to watch them both all the time, fearing  
  
either one of his friends would get killed. No, it was better if Jade told him and broke it  
  
off that way. So with a plan in mind he went to Acevedra.  
  
"Look, Captain, this Cordova thing isn't working out."  
  
"Not working out? Why not? Your team had some great busts the other night because  
  
of her."  
  
"I mean personally. There's just no way the team can work when we have a member so  
  
tied down."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"She'd got a kid. A three year old. It's not fair to the kid for Cordova to be at work so  
  
much, doing this hard core stuff."  
  
Acevedra frowned. "She didn't mention any of this to me. Besides, I don't see what it  
  
has to do with anything. You have kids, so do I."  
  
"Yeah, but for her it's different. She's a single mom, you know the drill. And anyway, I  
  
don't think she and Shane are going to be able to work out their differences. It's like  
  
being a kindergarten teacher, always having to separate them," Vic lied through his teeth  
  
and suppressed a grin thinking back to the last time he'd seen Shane and Jade together.  
  
"We've talked about moving Shane before."  
  
"And I've told you before. I need Shane. I can work with him. Cordova was an  
  
experiment that didn't work out. I told you before: I get the final cut. And my decision is  
  
no."  
  
"Because she's a woman," Acevedra answered.  
  
"Chalk it up to any reason you want to. But she's out."  
  
The Captain sighed. "You're getting increasingly hard to do business with."  
  
Vic shrugged. "Give it time. I'll grow on you."  
  
David Acevedra doubted that very much. "Fine, she'll go back to Southwest. We don't  
  
have any more openings that I can put her in."  
  
Vic nodded. "I'll tell her."  
  
Jade got back to the barn. She knew Vic was really upset about this Armadillo thing.  
  
Once in the Strike Team office, Vic sat her down alone.  
  
Jade had never run from anything in her life. She was nonplused when Vic told her  
  
what he was doing and why.  
  
"I just don't see why this Armadillo guy should scare me off," she persisted.  
  
"Look, I've made a lot of bad moves in my life. Getting you or your kid hurt or killed  
  
isn't going to be one of them. Acevedra bought that it wasn't going to work out. Go back  
  
to South; work in robbery or missing persons. Get your daughter back." He looked at her  
  
with hard, serious eyes. "And stay the hell away from me and Shane. You'll only get  
  
hurt, one way or another."  
  
Jade knew what he was saying. She knew it was true. But that didn't make her feel any  
  
better.  
  
Vic handed Jade a large envelope. She glanced inside at a large amount of cash.  
  
"What's this for?"  
  
"To help you with your kid. You said your sister's after money, throw some her way.  
  
Maybe she'll see the light."  
  
Jade knew he was right, she knew Lisa would take the money. That's what it had always  
  
been about.  
  
"For God's sake Jade, take the easy way. Get off the street for awhile."  
  
Jade could see how much Vic really cared when he said that. She got up and hugged  
  
him. "Thank you."  
  
"Now go tell that hot head you're leaving. And do the right thing."  
  
Jade nodded. She knew how hard it would be to break it off with Shane. Again. Just  
  
when they'd started..well, something. Jade chewed on her thumbnail as she drove to her  
  
sister's place. She knew Lisa. Seeing that money would make her forget all about  
  
"playing mom" to Carly. Jade didn't know how she was ever going to repay Vic. He was  
  
giving her something much more important than a headlining spot on the Strike Team  
  
would ever mean to her. *********************************************************  
  
Danny was getting in from a bust; she and Julien had picked up a junkie who was also  
  
wanted in a robbery. As she was doing her paperwork, Claudette came by.  
  
"How's it going?" she asked.  
  
Danny looked up. "Good. It's going good. We picked up that suspect you and Dutch  
  
were looking for in that Collins robbery last week. Lucky break."  
  
Claudette smiled. "Good work. Listen, Danny if you need to talk, or anything."  
  
Danny fidgeted. "I'm okay." She smiled and nodded politely, then turned back to her  
  
work. Claudette shrugged.  
  
Vic was walking through about then, headed out again. Danny gave him a look. It was a  
  
look that reflected her turmoil of feelings. A look she wished she hadn't given.  
  
A look Claudette caught. *************************************************************** Shane was whistling while he painted the wood planks on his porch. His dog Bosco, a  
  
Rottweiler pup that was already the size of a good-sized pig, lay close by watching. The  
  
whole porch needed rebuilding, as it was sagging, but he figured a fresh coat of paint  
  
couldn't hurt. He felt better than he had in weeks. Something about being with Jade again  
  
had just felt so.right. What he had with her was amazing. He knew he'd have to deal  
  
with this kid thing, but maybe he could handle it. Yeah, she was sure some kind of  
  
woman.  
  
As if reading his thoughts, he saw her Corvette turn the corner and pull up in front of  
  
the house. He smiled and set down his paint.  
  
He then saw that Jade wasn't alone. The little girl was with her. Shane went to the car.  
  
Jade had the windows rolled down.  
  
"Hi," he greeted.  
  
"Hi yourself. This is Carly."  
  
Shane looked at the three year old version of Jade buckled in to the passenger seat. She  
  
was gorgeous. Her long brown hair was in pigtails and her eyes were just as green as her  
  
mothers.  
  
He gave a little wave to the girl, who blinked long eyelashes and clutched a stuffed  
  
animal. She gave him a small smile in return.  
  
"She's really beautiful Jade," he told her in all honesty.  
  
"Shane, can we talk?"  
  
"Sure. Lets go inside." He opened the door for her.  
  
"No, I really have to go." She stepped out of the car and walked a few steps into the  
  
yard, where she could keep an eye on her daughter in the car.  
  
"What's up?" he asked, cleaning his hands on a rag from his back pocket. "Why aren't  
  
you at work?"  
  
"Look, I talked to Vic when I went back to the barn. This isn't going to work out. I  
  
guess this thing with this Armadillo guy is more than I bargained for. I didn't count on  
  
someone breaking into my place, going through my things.I mean, I've only worked  
  
with you guys for two days and already some psycho is stalking me? No, that's really not  
  
what I'm looking for. I have too much responsibility."  
  
Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not from Jade. She was much too strong  
  
to let something like this get under her skin.  
  
"I don't get it Jade."  
  
"Look, it's not only that. Lisa, my sister, she called this morning. She wants to let me  
  
have Carly back, on a trial basis. I can't be risking her life every time I go to work. And  
  
that's what I'd be doing. I want to be around to raise my daughter." She stuck her hands  
  
in the pockets of her jeans. She shrugged. "I hoped this was gonna work out, but now,  
  
everything's changed. Carly is my priority. I already talked to my old Captain and they  
  
have a spot open in Missing Persons. It's a good spot, a day job."  
  
Shane was getting a feeling he didn't like. "So you're going back to South?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
The anger he was feeling was building up, but then, he glanced back at the little girl,  
  
Carly, waiting in the car, looking expectantly at Jade. He realized how much she  
  
depended on Jade. It was easy to tell that though she'd been living with her aunt, she  
  
idolized the ground Jade walked on. It was just something in the girl's eyes. Those big  
  
green eyes.  
  
For that moment, Shane tried to think about someone else beside himself. He knew it  
  
was for selfish reasons he wanted Jade to stay. And unfortunately, he'd given up those  
  
reasons a long time ago. He'd given them to that baby. It didn't matter now if he never  
  
knew for sure who her father was, or if it was possible that it was him. He knew that he  
  
didn't want anything to happen to her mother.  
  
After a long silence, he finally looked hard at Jade. "Yeah, yeah you're right." He  
  
nodded. "I don't think this thing with the Strike Team would have worked. It makes it too  
  
complicated."  
  
Jade nodded in agreement, weather she really did agree or not. Damn, this was harder  
  
than she'd thought. And now here was Shane getting all noble on her. It might have been  
  
easier if he'd fought with her, like the old days.  
  
"Listen, would you mind if maybe I came by some time? I mean, not right away, until  
  
you and Carly have some time to spend together, but later on?"  
  
Jade managed a smile. She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. We're going to be moving. But  
  
I'll call you, give you the new address. Okay?"  
  
Shane nodded. He felt suddenly awkward, like this was not the woman he'd bedded not  
  
even 12 hours ago. "Well, see ya around?"  
  
"Yeah." Jade was feeling the same awkwardness. She hoped she wasn't making another  
  
mistake.  
  
"Be careful out there."  
  
"I will."  
  
And with that, Jade turned to go, but in a last minute gesture, Shane pulled her arm  
  
around, just as he'd done this morning. He held her tight to him, for just a minute, then let  
  
her go.  
  
Jade let herself hold on to the warmth and strong security of his body for just a minute.  
  
When she pulled away, she smiled. Than turned and walked to the car.  
  
Shane watched Jade and Carly leave, and gave a wave to the little girl, who returned it  
  
with her small hand. He watched them drive away.  
  
It was hard letting her go again, but he knew too well that if she stayed, she just get  
  
hurt. One way or another. He knew it was better this way. And maybe she would call.  
  
And maybe, someday, he would go see them.  
  
He looked down at Bosco, who was sitting, staring up at him expectantly.  
  
"Well, I know what I'm doing for the rest of the day." He headed for the house and  
  
Bosco trotted after him. Using the back door, they went inside where Shane headed to the  
  
refrigerator. He grabbed a beer. He poured a little in the dog's bowl. Bosco lapped  
  
happily.  
  
"The hell with it, let's get drunk."  
. Train roll on. on down the line. won't you please take me far. away Now feel the wind blow. outside my door. I'm leaving my woman at home.. Tuesday's gone with the wind. My baby's gone with the wind. I don't know. oh where I'm going. I just want to be. left alone. Well when this train ends. I'll try again.. leavin' my woman at home.. Tuesday's gone with the wind. Tuesday's gone with the wind. Tuesday's gone with the wind. My baby's gone with the wind. train roll on.  
"Tuesday's Gone" Lynard Skynard 


End file.
